Discussion: Do you add yourself in Roleplaying?

What's going guys and gals, Pickle Rick here and today I have a question to ask y'all. Do you add yourself into the character you Roleplay as? Now, if you have no clue what that means then I will gladly explain. What I mean by this is do you add something you personally do, beliefs, likes and dislikes, or anything of the sort into your charcater and more specially your character's Roleplay. An example of this would be if you a vegetarian in real life, and so your character you roleplay as is a vegetarian, or if you are afraid of spiders than your character would be afraid of spiders.

I personally do add myself in many of characters I have made in DnD, ES, and other such games. Many of my mage characters embodied the personal aspect of me always asking questions, seeking answers, and wanting to know as much information as I can, and since they are like this they tend to be Mora worshippers since he has all the information ever made and created. I would go for more detailed information, but I am afraid it may get too personal and no body wants that.

As always, I ask if you post on here please reply to someone else to further the conversation, thank you.

What's going guys and gals, Pickle Rick here and today I have a question to ask y'all. Do you add yourself into the character you Roleplay as? Now, if you have no clue what that means then I will gladly explain. What I mean by this is do you add something you personally do, beliefs, likes and dislikes, or anything of the sort into your charcater and more specially your character's Roleplay. An example of this would be if you a vegetarian in real life, and so your character you roleplay as is a vegetarian, or if you are afraid of spiders than your character would be afraid of spiders.

I personally do add myself in many of characters I have made in DnD, ES, and other such games. Many of my mage characters embodied the personal aspect of me always asking questions, seeking answers, and wanting to know as much information as I can, and since they are like this they tend to be Mora worshippers since he has all the information ever made and created. I would go for more detailed information, but I am afraid it may get too personal and no body wants that.

As always, I ask if you post on here please reply to someone else to further the conversation, thank you.

I think that it's borderline impossible to create a character that you'll eventually grow close to without putting part of yourself in there. After all, the characters are essentially 'us' for the duration of the playthrough, and regardless of their loyalties or morality there has to be a bit of you in there to keep things going, to keep stuff important and dilemma-inducing.

It doesn't even have to be a big or important part of you. If you're an athiest you could include that in your character, which due to the whole gods thing in ES would make for an interesting character, and it would inevitably become a pivotal part of the character. But maybe you just really, really love carrots, and your Paladin munches them on their travels as a result. It's not only to relate to a character, but to make them believable, human. And injecting a little quirk or a large idealogy alike will make them that little bit more real. And that's what roleplay is all about really, making something believable to you, the player.

Interesting topic mate!

I think that it's borderline impossible to create a character that you'll eventually grow close to without putting part of yourself in there. After all, the characters are essentially 'us' for the duration of the playthrough, and regardless of their loyalties or morality there has to be a bit of you in there to keep things going, to keep stuff important and dilemma-inducing.

It doesn't even have to be a big or important part of you. If you're an athiest you could include that in your character, which due to the whole gods thing in ES would make for an interesting character, and it would inevitably become a pivotal part of the character. But maybe you just really, really love carrots, and your Paladin munches them on their travels as a result. It's not only to relate to a character, but to make them believable, human. And injecting a little quirk or a large idealogy alike will make them that little bit more real. And that's what roleplay is all about really, making something believable to you, the player.

I know of a few people who do: I used to have a laugh with Vaz as his favourite Mass Effect character was Vazgen Shepard :D it makes a world of sense to play what you know, to experience the game as if it were you there. That woud be incredibly immersive, especially when those big decisions are made. Would I, as Phil, really kill Paarthurnax? Despite the Blades actaully taking action in contrast to the Greybeards "let god sort it out" level of contemptible apathy, would the end justify the means? Honestly not sure - Phil would have died at Helgen.

However, I have never done it. I RP to escape who I am and my life, to see the world through the eyes of another. Sure, it's impossible to completely detach yourself and be someone else, but it's the trying rather than the level of success that matters to me, I suppose. I can't think like a Dunmer from House Dres as I have never experienced that enviroment, but I can empathise to a degree which gives me a starting point.

The game sometimes doesn't offer enough scope to really esxperience things, so we need idiosyncratic hooks we can visualise or enact. Playing a vegan Nord can be a real eye-opener in a land of furs and horker stew, especially with Frostfall enabled. Little things, like Zon's carrot munching paladin, can sometimes be enough to breathe life into what is otherwise one-dimensional.

One thing I have never been good at is backstory, though. I can and will RP but normally the character's past is a nebulous thing, vague and mostly formless besides cultural outlook. I could never tell you what they had for dinner last Tuesday.

I know of a few people who do: I used to have a laugh with Vaz as his favourite Mass Effect character was Vazgen Shepard :D it makes a world of sense to play what you know, to experience the game as if it were you there. That woud be incredibly immersive, especially when those big decisions are made. Would I, as Phil, really kill Paarthurnax? Despite the Blades actaully taking action in contrast to the Greybeards "let god sort it out" level of contemptible apathy, would the end justify the means? Honestly not sure - Phil would have died at Helgen.

However, I have never done it. I RP to escape who I am and my life, to see the world through the eyes of another. Sure, it's impossible to completely detach yourself and be someone else, but it's the trying rather than the level of success that matters to me, I suppose. I can't think like a Dunmer from House Dres as I have never experienced that enviroment, but I can empathise to a degree which gives me a starting point.

The game sometimes doesn't offer enough scope to really esxperience things, so we need idiosyncratic hooks we can visualise or enact. Playing a vegan Nord can be a real eye-opener in a land of furs and horker stew, especially with Frostfall enabled. Little things, like Zon's carrot munching paladin, can sometimes be enough to breathe life into what is otherwise one-dimensional.

One thing I have never been good at is backstory, though. I can and will RP but normally the character's past is a nebulous thing, vague and mostly formless besides cultural outlook. I could never tell you what they had for dinner last Tuesday.

Great topic! I think I always infuse my characters with at least one aspect of myself. And it's not really a conscious thing for me. When I'm conceptualizing who they are and their story, I need a touchpoint or some grounding that I can sort of relate to, and then I build the backstory and it helps shape the progress and future of the character.

I think it helps so much with the internal storytelling. It would be really hard for me to create a character that I couldn't relate to at all. I think it'd be pretty flat and boring to me, and I don't know that I'd get that far. I think it's also why I usually tend to create female characters. Not to drag gender into this, but RPing a male has always been a little harder for me, simply because I don't understand the male experience as well as the female.

So for me, to create a character that means anything at all to me, it's definitely a necessity.

Great topic! I think I always infuse my characters with at least one aspect of myself. And it's not really a conscious thing for me. When I'm conceptualizing who they are and their story, I need a touchpoint or some grounding that I can sort of relate to, and then I build the backstory and it helps shape the progress and future of the character.

I think it helps so much with the internal storytelling. It would be really hard for me to create a character that I couldn't relate to at all. I think it'd be pretty flat and boring to me, and I don't know that I'd get that far. I think it's also why I usually tend to create female characters. Not to drag gender into this, but RPing a male has always been a little harder for me, simply because I don't understand the male experience as well as the female.

So for me, to create a character that means anything at all to me, it's definitely a necessity.

It's interesting that you say that, Phil, because I can't RP well without an accompanying backstory. Even though I personally don't particularly enjoy crafting backstories, I've found that skipping that step means that I only have nebulous ideas of how I want the player character to act - it leaves them as almost caricatures. In contrast, having a backstory really lets me dig deep into the character.

I do also think that every character has something of yourself inside them, no matter how small. It can be something as minor as some NPC sort of getting to you through the character. And the best backstories are inevitably drawn at least partially from one's own life experiences, no?

With that said, I've never been able to dig deep into a really evil playthrough before. I just can't get it.

It's interesting that you say that, Phil, because I can't RP well without an accompanying backstory. Even though I personally don't particularly enjoy crafting backstories, I've found that skipping that step means that I only have nebulous ideas of how I want the player character to act - it leaves them as almost caricatures. In contrast, having a backstory really lets me dig deep into the character.

I do also think that every character has something of yourself inside them, no matter how small. It can be something as minor as some NPC sort of getting to you through the character. And the best backstories are inevitably drawn at least partially from one's own life experiences, no?

With that said, I've never been able to dig deep into a really evil playthrough before. I just can't get it.

Great topic! I think I always infuse my characters with at least one aspect of myself. And it's not really a conscious thing for me. When I'm conceptualizing who they are and their story, I need a touchpoint or some grounding that I can sort of relate to, and then I build the backstory and it helps shape the progress and future of the character.

I think it helps so much with the internal storytelling. It would be really hard for me to create a character that I couldn't relate to at all. I think it'd be pretty flat and boring to me, and I don't know that I'd get that far. I think it's also why I usually tend to create female characters. Not to drag gender into this, but RPing a male has always been a little harder for me, simply because I don't understand the male experience as well as the female.

So for me, to create a character that means anything at all to me, it's definitely a necessity.

Thank you and for me, I tend to add myself into my characters without me even thinking about it. I usually roleplay around an idea or concept and then, later on, I realized the character's belief is very close to mine.

I think it does as well. Right, I feel the same way that is why only a select few characters of mine I can actually relate to. Again, completely agree on being flat and boring. Nah, that is perfectly fine and I understand. Plus, let's face it most men whole play Skyrim tend to play as females...I mean why do you think is a lot more female "body" mods than males

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Edana]Edana[/url] said:[/b]

Great topic! I think I always infuse my characters with at least one aspect of myself. And it's not really a conscious thing for me. When I'm conceptualizing who they are and their story, I need a touchpoint or some grounding that I can sort of relate to, and then I build the backstory and it helps shape the progress and future of the character.

I think it helps so much with the internal storytelling. It would be really hard for me to create a character that I couldn't relate to at all. I think it'd be pretty flat and boring to me, and I don't know that I'd get that far. I think it's also why I usually tend to create female characters. Not to drag gender into this, but RPing a male has always been a little harder for me, simply because I don't understand the male experience as well as the female.

So for me, to create a character that means anything at all to me, it's definitely a necessity.

[/blockquote]

Thank you and for me, I tend to add myself into my characters without me even thinking about it. I usually roleplay around an idea or concept and then, later on, I realized the character's belief is very close to mine.

I think it does as well. Right, I feel the same way that is why only a select few characters of mine I can actually relate to. Again, completely agree on being flat and boring. Nah, that is perfectly fine and I understand. Plus, let's face it most men whole play Skyrim tend to play as females...I mean why do you think is a lot more female "body" mods than males

I add something of myself to most characters, male or female, mage, theif, or warrior. Often it's less about seeing myself in a character and more about wish fulfillment of that aspect of myself. I'll never be the hero that Skyrim allows me to be. If I want to see my nobility, I'll roll my paladin. If I want to indulge my mischevous side, I'll be a sneak theif, though usually one who abides by some code. I think the blank slate nature of character creation means that unless someone purposefully creates a character that is outside his/her comfort zone, some part of that person will always be found within the character.

I add something of myself to most characters, male or female, mage, theif, or warrior. Often it's less about seeing myself in a character and more about wish fulfillment of that aspect of myself. I'll never be the hero that Skyrim allows me to be. If I want to see my nobility, I'll roll my paladin. If I want to indulge my mischevous side, I'll be a sneak theif, though usually one who abides by some code. I think the blank slate nature of character creation means that unless someone purposefully creates a character that is outside his/her comfort zone, some part of that person will always be found within the character.

I add something of myself to most characters, male or female, mage, theif, or warrior. Often it's less about seeing myself in a character and more about wish fulfillment of that aspect of myself. I'll never be the hero that Skyrim allows me to be. If I want to see my nobility, I'll roll my paladin. If I want to indulge my mischevous side, I'll be a sneak theif, though usually one who abides by some code. I think the blank slate nature of character creation means that unless someone purposefully creates a character that is outside his/her comfort zone, some part of that person will always be found within the character.

I think it was Hulk Hogan who said (paraphrasing): 'To craft your wrestling personality - your stage personality, you need to take one aspect of yourself and make it your whole self'. Is this kinda what you mean? So for example a passionate reader in real life would make one of those classic 'imma find all the books in Skyrim characters', or someone who likes to sing in the shower would make a bard who can't fight, use magic or generally do anything else but sing. I've always liked the idea of this, but as I'm not the most interesting nor introspective of people it can be a bit challenging for me to find that something that'll make a good character, as it often has to be something quite integral to your personality (well that to be the case anyway, I'm sure my two examples could also be good characters as well).

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Legion]Legion[/url] said:[/b]

I add something of myself to most characters, male or female, mage, theif, or warrior. Often it's less about seeing myself in a character and more about wish fulfillment of that aspect of myself. I'll never be the hero that Skyrim allows me to be. If I want to see my nobility, I'll roll my paladin. If I want to indulge my mischevous side, I'll be a sneak theif, though usually one who abides by some code. I think the blank slate nature of character creation means that unless someone purposefully creates a character that is outside his/her comfort zone, some part of that person will always be found within the character.

[/blockquote]

I think it was Hulk Hogan who said (paraphrasing): 'To craft your wrestling personality - your stage personality, you need to take one aspect of yourself and make it your whole self'. Is this kinda what you mean? So for example a passionate reader in real life would make one of those classic 'imma find all the books in Skyrim characters', or someone who likes to sing in the shower would make a bard who can't fight, use magic or generally do anything else but sing. I've always liked the idea of this, but as I'm not the most interesting nor introspective of people it can be a bit challenging for me to find that something that'll make a good character, as it often has to be something quite integral to your personality (well that to be the case anyway, I'm sure my two examples could also be good characters as well).

I think it was Hulk Hogan who said (paraphrasing): 'To craft your wrestling personality - your stage personality, you need to take one aspect of yourself and make it your whole self'. Is this kinda what you mean? So for example a passionate reader in real life would make one of those classic 'imma find all the books in Skyrim characters', or someone who likes to sing in the shower would make a bard who can't fight, use magic or generally do anything else but sing. I've always liked the idea of this, but as I'm not the most interesting nor introspective of people it can be a bit challenging for me to find that something that'll make a good character, as it often has to be something quite integral to your personality (well that to be the case anyway, I'm sure my two examples could also be good characters as well).

Yep! That's pretty much what I was getting at. The character needs to be based off a significant enough facet of the player's personality to have the drive to move forward. It could be something like being a book worm, or it could even come from a moral belief, or ideas relating specfically to the world of TES. Basically, there needs to be an emotional connection. The more of you that you put into a character, the more enjoyable that character will probably be.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Zonnonn]Zonnonn[/url] said:[/b]

I think it was Hulk Hogan who said (paraphrasing): 'To craft your wrestling personality - your stage personality, you need to take one aspect of yourself and make it your whole self'. Is this kinda what you mean? So for example a passionate reader in real life would make one of those classic 'imma find all the books in Skyrim characters', or someone who likes to sing in the shower would make a bard who can't fight, use magic or generally do anything else but sing. I've always liked the idea of this, but as I'm not the most interesting nor introspective of people it can be a bit challenging for me to find that something that'll make a good character, as it often has to be something quite integral to your personality (well that to be the case anyway, I'm sure my two examples could also be good characters as well).

[/blockquote]

Yep! That's pretty much what I was getting at. The character needs to be based off a significant enough facet of the player's personality to have the drive to move forward. It could be something like being a book worm, or it could even come from a moral belief, or ideas relating specfically to the world of TES. Basically, there needs to be an emotional connection. The more of you that you put into a character, the more enjoyable that character will probably be.

It's interesting that you say that, Phil, because I can't RP well without an accompanying backstory. Even though I personally don't particularly enjoy crafting backstories, I've found that skipping that step means that I only have nebulous ideas of how I want the player character to act - it leaves them as almost caricatures. In contrast, having a backstory really lets me dig deep into the character.

I do also think that every character has something of yourself inside them, no matter how small. It can be something as minor as some NPC sort of getting to you through the character. And the best backstories are inevitably drawn at least partially from one's own life experiences, no?

With that said, I've never been able to dig deep into a really evil playthrough before. I just can't get it.

I think it comes from delving too deep into lore, Soly. I regret it as it often means there's an internal struggle going on as I try and make a backstory. There is a very real possibility that the Hero doesn't exist until he or she opens their eyes on that cart, that Alduin and The Last Dragonborn appear at the same time in the same place - the moment when the Prisoner appears inside the Tower.

For a long time that was how I approached it. Family, previous experience... none of it mattered beyond a framework, a basic skeleton upon which the flesh of the character could be hung as it is hard to reconcile the two. Like, you can't make a Nord and pretend he's from Ivarstead because nobody there would ever recognise you. Likewise, you could say you're from Bruma but if you could turn around and head out of game to the south, nobody there would recognise you either. It's very meta.

I'm more relaxed now, but something like answering Serana's question about your relationship with your folks normally doeesn't get answered or thought about until that moment as it is often irrelevant.

I have never really been able to play evil either. I like to think that's because there's enough of me in the character that my moral compass isn't capable of it :D

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Solyeuse]soly[/url] said:[/b]

It's interesting that you say that, Phil, because I can't RP well without an accompanying backstory. Even though I personally don't particularly enjoy crafting backstories, I've found that skipping that step means that I only have nebulous ideas of how I want the player character to act - it leaves them as almost caricatures. In contrast, having a backstory really lets me dig deep into the character.

I do also think that every character has something of yourself inside them, no matter how small. It can be something as minor as some NPC sort of getting to you through the character. And the best backstories are inevitably drawn at least partially from one's own life experiences, no?

With that said, I've never been able to dig deep into a really evil playthrough before. I just can't get it.

[/blockquote]

I think it comes from delving too deep into lore, Soly. I regret it as it often means there's an internal struggle going on as I try and make a backstory. There is a very real possibility that the Hero doesn't exist until he or she opens their eyes on that cart, that Alduin and The Last Dragonborn appear at the same time in the same place - the moment when the Prisoner appears inside the Tower.

For a long time that was how I approached it. Family, previous experience... none of it mattered beyond a framework, a basic skeleton upon which the flesh of the character could be hung as it is hard to reconcile the two. Like, you can't make a Nord and pretend he's from Ivarstead because nobody there would ever recognise you. Likewise, you could say you're from Bruma but if you could turn around and head out of game to the south, nobody there would recognise you either. It's very meta.

I'm more relaxed now, but something like answering Serana's question about your relationship with your folks normally doeesn't get answered or thought about until that moment as it is often irrelevant.

I have never really been able to play evil either. I like to think that's because there's enough of me in the character that my moral compass isn't capable of it :D